Deal With Likud Is Nearing Signing By UTJ, But Gafni Postpones the Infrastructure Reforms Committee

On Sunday night, the UTJ party and Likud engaged in lengthy conversations that resulted in significant progress for both sides.

On the same day, talks between the two sides halted after UTJ complained that it was being treated differently from other coalition partners and given a smaller share of the government than it was due.

Meir Porush will serve as the Minister for Jerusalem and Jewish Tradition under the new tentative agreements. Porush demands to be in charge of carrying out the recommendations of the Meron committee and asserts that the ministry lacks genuine sway.

Yitzchak Goldknopf will serve as minister of construction, and Uri Maklev will serve as deputy minister in charge of the Chareidi Economic Administration in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Maklev will also serve as the deputy minister of transportation, responsible for managing public transportation for Chareidis.

Yaakov Asher will lead the Interior Affairs Committee, and Yisrael Eichler will direct the Labor and Social Affairs Committee.
Religious Zionism has taken over the Knesset’s committee on infrastructure projects and reforms, and Moshe Gafni will serve as its chairman despite his threats to derail the accord.

The duties of this committee and those of the Finance Committee and Internal Affairs Committee of the Knesset overlap.

Behadrei Haredim, a haredi news outlet, stated on Monday that UTJ leaders were taken aback by this arrangement and that it would have an impact on their ongoing coalition talks with Likud.

The idea “harms the operation of the Knesset,” MK Moshe Gafni declared during a Finance Committee meeting on Monday morning, and he vowed to persuade Netanyahu to reverse course.